Healing a Frozen Heart
by Hrse-Ridr1997
Summary: Secret of the Wings from Milori's POV. Two hundred years after he said goodbye to Clarion, he is still heartbroken. What happens when two young fairies unwittingly reunite the two lovers? First FanFic. I do not own any of the characters or dialogue seen in the Secret of the Wings movie. I will continue the story if I get at least 10 reviews :)


**This is my very first story on FanFiction and I spent the better part of a month writing it, so please review :) I Will Continue This Story IF I get at least 10 reviews. Sorry it's only listed as one chapter but with it being my first story I didn't know how to add chapters at first. Please R&amp;R, enjoy ;)  
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Milori watched as the last of the snowy owls disappeared over the tree line. They were on their way to pick up the last of the snowflake baskets from the warm seasons. He himself couldn't see the border from his window, but that was why he'd built his ice palace on the north side of the mountain -to shield himself from any reminder of _her_. He sighed and turned away from the window to prepare for the day ahead. He had to confirm the crossing of the animals, check on basket preparations, and - although he hated to do it - visit winter's pixie dust supply to check on the flow of pixie dust.

His owl gave a soft hoot in greeting as Milori vaulted on to his back. "Hyah!" Milori muttered, and the owl launched himself into flight. Milori steered him towards the pixie dust supply, deciding to get it over with rather than dreading it all day. He never stopped at the golden waterfall, preferring to do flybys instead. The shimmering gold drew up too many painful memories. The winter dust keeper saw him coming, and shot a thumbs-up as he flew past to signal that the dust was flowing normally. Milori gave a sharp nod in response before swiftly turning the owl around and heading back to check on basket preparations. As he neared where the snowflake fairies were filling the baskets, he noticed a commotion among the line on baskets and ordered his owl to land. He dismounted and glanced around at the spilled snowflakes.

"Lord Milori." A black-haired sparrow-man known as Sled said in greeting.

"And what happened here?" Milori asked as he walked over.

"Ah, bit of a bumpy landing, it's only his second drop-off" Sled replied, referring to the young owl who had landed nearby.

"As long as the basket made it, I'd say he did just fine." Milori said with a reassuring glance at the young owl, "How was the crossing?"

"Four bunnies, two weasels, and a marmot."

"And they all crossed safely?"

"Yes, I met up with them on the north side."

Milori turned to the black-haired snowflake fairy, who gave him a snowflake to examine.

"The snowflakes are looking quite beautiful" He praised, holding it up.

"No two alike" the fairy replied, taking the snowflake. She started to say something else when he felt something bump into his foot from behind.

"Hm," He turned around and saw one of the Keeper's books lying at his feet, "Now that is odd." He said to himself as he picked it up and peered at the title, "It must have been left in the basket by accident." He stared at the fallen basket across the ice for a moment before handing the book to Sled and returning to his owl, "Return this to the Keeper, he can send it back to the warm side on his next delivery." He climbed on to the owl's back and departed. He didn't know what to make of the Wingology book, and he racked his brain for a logical answer as he flew home. He knew that the tinker fairies in the warm seasons made the baskets, and he remembered that _her_ friend Fairy Mary was in charge of the tinkers. But Fairy Mary didn't let her tinkers slack off in order to read a book….

Suddenly, Milori had a very troubling thought, one that sent his heart racing and made him draw in a sharp intake of air. He knew it was next to impossible, and tried to battle his rising fear with what he logically knew. '_It's impossible, no fairy would dare….no fairy would deliberately defy…..she has forbidden it, no one would deliberately disobey her. No fairy is allowed, from either side…..'_

Nevertheless, Milori banked his owl in a sharp turn. He needed to discuss this with the Keeper. He took deep breaths to calm himself - it wouldn't do for him to show up at the library in a panic. It wasn't a long flight, and he soon arrived at the library. Opening one of the large icy doors, he walked inside, but didn't see Dewey at his writing podium, which was unusual to say the least.

"Hello? Keeper? Are you in?" He called out, "Keeper, are you here? Where are you?"

After a moment, he heard Dewey's voice, "Ah, come back later"

Milori looked up, and saw Dewey on a large snowflake-shaped sheet of ice, "Keeper? I need to speak with you, it's important!"

After a moment, Dewey drifted down to him, "I'm right here Lord Milori!"

"Did you receive that wing book?"

"Ya know, once upon a time you'd stop by, just to say hello and how d' do…"

Milori sighed, "I'm sorry. Hello."

"How d' do?" Dewey prompted

Milori sighed again, "How d' do?" He stepped after the Keeper, "This book has me worried. What if a warm fairy brought it here?"

Dewey turned after just a second of hesitation, "Well, that might be nice then, meeting a warm fairy. Especially one with such good taste in the books."

"It's too cold." Milori said with a stern expression

"Well, maybe if they were wearing a coat. Or one of those little sweater vests, they're nice."

"May I remind you, crossing the border is forbidden." Milori said, cutting his hand through the air.

"There was a time when it wasn't." the Keeper countered.

"The rule is there to keep the fairies safe. That will never change."

"But I -"

"If a warm fairy comes here, you will send them back." Milori interrupted in a tone that offered no further debate.

"Of course." Dewey sighed.

"Thank you. " Milori turned and left, just as uneasy as when he'd arrived. When he got home, he went straight to his study and collapsed in a chair. His conversation with Dewey had brought up long-buried memories. Memories of before the border law. Some were good, some were bad. All were painful to think about. Milori buried his face in his hands, trying to stop the onslaught. He was so caught up in his memories that he was almost unaware of anything else. The sound of _her_ voice wove through his memory, torturing him. Snippets of conversations, no louder than whispers.

'_What's it like in winter?'_

'_**It's cold. What is it like in the warm seasons?'**_

'_It's warm.' She shot back, smiling._

Milori squeezed his eyes closed, trying to forget.

'_This is my fault, I never should have let you cross.'_

'_**It's not your fault, it's mine, I knew better'**_

'_But I should have said no, I should have stopped you. If only I'd gotten back faster.'_

'_**Stop blaming yourself, I certainly don't.'**_

'_We can't do this anymore.'_

'_**What do you mean?'**_

'_We can't keep seeing each other. It's too dangerous.'_

'_**No…we just won't cross again, it'll be fine'**_

'_It's only a matter of time until something else happens'_

'_**No, please….you don't have to go'**_

'_I'm sorry'_

Milori choked out a sob, wrapping his arms around his chest, trying to hold himself together.

'_I love you Milori'_

He felt as if his chest was ripping apart, his shoulders shook with broken sobs. His heart pounded in his ears. He hadn't lost control this way in over a hundred years. He was ashamed of himself.

After his sobs subsided, he stood up and numbly walked to his bedroom. He closed the door, and turned to look in the mirror. His face was tear-stained, his eyes bloodshot. He took a deep breath and removed his feathered cape before slowly turning until he could see his wings reflected in the mirror. Or what was left of them. He reached back and tentatively touched the jagged broken edge of his right wing. He let out a shuddering sigh of regret, and turned away from the mirror.

Milori stood on his balcony, not knowing or caring what time it was, and stared out across the frozen landscape. He peered up at the full moon for a moment before returning to his bedroom. He collapsed on his bed fully dressed and sank into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, after bathing and grabbing a quick bite to eat, Milori decided to pay a visit to Dewey. The short sparrow-man was right when he'd said Milori never just stopped by for a chat anymore. When Milori arrived at the library, his conversation with the Keeper from yesterday ran through his mind. So before he went inside, he turned to his owl.

"I need you to watch the autumn border for me today. If you see anything unusual, come get me immediately."

The owl churred in agreement, and promptly threw himself into the air. Milori watched him go, then entered the library. The Keeper was pleasantly surprised to see him.

"Milori! What brings you here today my good friend?"

"Hello Dewey, How d' do?"

"I'm good, I'm good. Anything I can help you with?"

"No, this is purely a social visit."

"Well in that case, can you bring me that stack of books over there?"

Milori set down the last pile of books and rubbed his sore arms. He'd just spent the morning rearranging Dewey's extensive collection of books. He was starting to suspect that Dewey didn't exactly know the true meaning of a social visit. Milori chuckled to himself at his eccentric friend.

Suddenly, a loud explosion of hoots and whistles sounded through the thick doors of the library. Milori hurriedly excused himself, and ran outside to his waiting owl.

"Did someone cross?" Milori called. The bird dipped his head. "From which side?" The owl stared at him meaningfully, and Milori's face drained of all color. "A winter fairy crossed?"

The owl dipped his head again. Milori vaulted on to the bird's back and the owl launched them into the sky. His mind raced _'Why? Why would someone cross?' _He knew the answer though, he knew that one of his fairies had met one of the warm season fairies. He only prayed that he could get to the border in time.

As the autumn border came into view, Milori saw a group of warm fairies rushing out of the Autumn Woods with one of his younger fairies. As he drew closer, he saw that it was Periwinkle, a frost fairy who wasn't even a full year old yet. Milori jumped to the ground as soon as his owl's talons touched the snow. Heart pounding, he ran to Periwinkle's crumpled form. As he approached, the two warm fairies who had carried her backed away.

"Please, can you help her?" the blonde one pleaded. He barely glanced at her as he knelt in the snow next to Periwinkle. She met his eyes and looked at her wings in fear. Her wings were wilted and damp, and he'd bet they were numb as well. Milori gazed at her in pity; he could see how scared she was. He took her small hand in his and helped her stand.

"Gently, lift your wings. Let the cold surround them." He softly instructed. She slowly lifted her wings, and the cold air quickly chilled them. She fluttered her wings after a moment and lifted herself into the air. She faltered once, and Milori put his arm out to help, but she regained her balance without his help. She landed with a relieved look on her face, and the blonde warm fairy - who had thankfully crossed back over to the warm side - looked at her with a relieved smile.

"You're okay, you're wings are okay!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah." Periwinkle replied breathlessly.

Milori stepped forward, glancing first at Peri, then at the blonde.

"This is why we do not cross the border." He said sternly.

"No! It could've worked!" Peri pleaded, "We just needed a bigger piece of ice."

"And when that was gone?" His gaze softened, "Your wings could have broken."

Periwinkle's gaze fell, "But they didn't," she replied softly, "I'm – I'm fine. Thanks to them."

Milori turned to look at the warm fairies, but his stern gaze fell on the blonde fairy who looked so much like Periwinkle, "The rule is there to protect you. I'm sorry, you two may never see each other again." He turned away, about to return to his owl.

"No, please don't do this, we belong together!" Peri pleaded.

"We're sisters!" The blonde fairy exclaimed. This stopped Milori dead in his tracks.

"We were born of the same laugh." She continued. Milori's face fell at what he had to say to them.

"All the more reason you should want to keep each other safe." He said as he turned to face them. He looked at Peri, "Return home." He turned back towards his owl before her heartbroken face could get to him. He heard one of the warm fairies trying to persuade the blonde fairy, who he had heard called Tink, to go home. He hoped she would, the faster she left this place, the better.

"No!" she stepped forward once again, "Lord Milori!"

He turned to face her once more, a bit surprised that she was challenging him.

"Your rule will not keep us apart!" she declared defiantly.

"Tinkerbell!"

Milori froze, his eyes widening and his heart thumping as he recognized the new voice. He looked up, shocked, as _she_ arrived.

"This is not Lord Milori's rule. It's mine." _She_ said as she flew closer.

"Queen Clarion…" Tinkerbell pleaded as she turned to _her._

Milori's heart thumped wildly as he heard _her_ name for the first time in almost two hundred years.

The Queen looked at Tinkerbell with pity, "I'm sorry." She said softly. Tinkerbell appeared to wilt before Milori's very eyes, and she turned to look at Periwinkle sadly. Milori turned to the young frost fairy.

"You should get deeper into the cold, back to the north side of the mountain" He told her gently. Peri began walking away, and Tinkerbell flew to the edge of the border to watch her go. Milori watched as Peri suddenly turned and ran back to Tinkerbell, the two sisters clinging to each other in goodbye, their wings softly sparkling. Peri took off into the snowy forest a moment later, with Tinkerbell and the other warm fairies departing soon after.

With the other fairies gone, Milori finally turned to gaze at _her_, at Queen Clarion. She gazed back at him with sorrow and pain etched clearly in her eyes. After a minute, _she_ turned and flew after her warm fairies. Milori stared after her until she was out of sight, his eyes a mirror of the emotions he had seen in hers. He turned and paced back to his owl and jumped on to his back.

"Hyah!" The bird took to the sky, where Milori banked him in a sharp turn back towards the border.

"Hoa!" he ordered the bird, and he extended his talons, knocking the snow machine down to the river below. Milori watched it fall before steering the owl back into the Winter Woods. He went back to the library, wanting to talk with Dewey.

When he arrived, Dewey took one look at his face and knew what was troubling him more than the two sisters.

"She was there." It wasn't a question. Milori stopped and looked at him.

"How did you know?" he asked. In answer, Dewey glanced behind him at the slightly open doors that led to another room. Milori followed his gaze.

"Is Periwinkle in there?" He asked quietly.

Dewey nodded, "She has been watching her and Tinkerbell's arrival story for over an hour." He stated sadly.

"May I speak with her?"

Dewey nodded and led him into the story room. Milori looked up at the large snowflake, then at Dewey. Dewey hesitated as he remembered that Milori couldn't fly, then took out his ration of pixie dust and sprinkled it over Milori before he could object. Dewey escorted him up to the sheet of ice, where they watched the last scene of Peri's arrival story. Milori's eyes landed on the tiny fairy that knelt in front of him, unaware of his presence.

"Peri?" Milori inquired quietly. She turned at looked at him sadly. Dewey glanced at him before heading back down to continue his work. Milori realized what he was about to say, and took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

"Peri, long ago, when Pixie Hollow was very young, two fairies met and fell in love. One of them was a winter fairy, and the other was from the warm seasons. The two fairies were enchanted with each other, and every sunset they met at the border, where spring touches winter. But as their love grew stronger, they wished to be together, and share each other's worlds." Milori took another steadying breath, "So they disregarded the danger and crossed. One of them broke a wing, for which there is no cure." Milori stood, and turned away from Peri, "From that day forward, Queen Clarion decreed that fairies must never again cross the border, and I agreed that our two worlds should forever remain apart."

Peri was quiet for a moment, before asking, "And, the two fairies? What happened to them?"

Milori was quiet for a few seconds, before answering her question, "They had to say goodbye." With that, he stepped off the snowflake and let Dewey's pixie dust carry him back to the ground. He left the story room, nodded to Dewey, and left. He let his owl take him home without a word. He patted the owl when they landed, then went inside to his bedroom. He collapsed on his bed and let himself cry broken, tearless sobs. His whole body shook as he wept. He felt as if his heart was breaking all over again. Finally, he had cried himself to sheer exhaustion, and he fell asleep where he lay.

Incessant knocking on his bedroom door woke Milori up a few hours later, and then one of his two guards entered.

"Lord Milori, the Keeper is here to speak with you. He says it is urgent."

"Send him in. "Milori replied groggily, wondering what could be so urgent that Dewey had to come to his home.

"Lord Milori!" Dewey exclaimed breathlessly as he flew into the room in a panic. Milori instantly stood and grabbed Dewey's shoulders to calm him down.

"What's wrong Dewey? I have never seen you so worried in my life!"

"Periwinkle took me to see the Pixie dust supply, and it has stopped flowing completely! Then Tinkerbell arrived and told us that there is a freeze moving across all of the warm seasons! She said that if the freeze reaches the Pixie Dust Tree, the Tree will die! Peri, Gliss and Spike returned to Pixie Hollow with her to see if they could frost the tree -"

"They won't finish in time, the Tree is too large for three fairies to frost! Quickly, gather as many frost fairies as you can and bring them here. There is no time to waste!" Milori urgently instructed. Dewey left as quickly as he had come. Milori tried not to panic. He knew that the Queen's essence was tied to the Tree, and if the Tree died, then she would too. He ordered his guards to summon all of the snowy owls that they used for the snowflake baskets and ran downstairs and out the door. Nearly every fairy and sparrow-man in the Winter Woods was gathered in front of his home, with the snowy owls beginning to arrive behind them. Milori vaulted on to his owl and turned to address his fairies.

"Winter Fairies!" He boomed, "There is a freeze spreading across Pixie Hollow, and heading for the Pixie Dust Tree!" The fairies gasped, "I need you to travel with me to frost the Tree before the freeze reaches it. If the Tree dies, then there will be no more Pixie Dust!" Milori scanned the crowd, "If the Tree dies, so does the Queen." He saw fear in the crowd that was quickly replaced by determination to not let the Tree or their Queen come to harm. "Move out!" He commanded, his owl launching into the air. Milori glanced behind him to see the owls and fairies following him. He urged his owl on, as fast as he could go. Before long, they were flying over the freeze line in Autumn Woods.

"Lord Milori!" Periwinkle exclaimed in relief as she flew to meet them.

"We've come to help." Milori said with a hint of a smile.

"Now, you didn't think I was gonna let you do this all by yourselves now did you?" Dewey called to Peri.

"The Tree should be our top priority, but any fairy we can spare should try to frost the other seasons." Peri instructed before flying back to the Tree. Milori looked at Sled, "Start at the freeze line and spread out to spring and summer! The rest of you, cover the Tree!"

The fairies dispersed over Pixie Hollow, frosting everything they could reach. Milori directed his owl toward the Tree. He hadn't frosted anything in almost a hundred years, but when he touched the Tree's leaves, a line of silver several times wider than that of the other fairies' shot out from his fingertips. He allowed himself to smile for just a second before continuing to cover the Tree in his frost. When he finished, he looked out across the warm seasons to see his fairies had finished frosting. He pulled up, his owl hovering in the air.

"We've done all we can! Join the others!" He called. He steered his owl into a circular descent around the Pixie Dust Tree and let him land among the branches. He jumped off the owl and approached the warm fairies huddled behind their queen.

"The freeze is upon us, you must take cover." He ordered. When it was just him and the Queen left, he gently approached _her._ Her wide sapphire eyes peered at him in utter trust, and he could see her relief, but also her fear as he reached her.

"Will everything be alright?" She asked, her soft musical voice tight with worry.

"I don't know. I've never seen anything like this." He told her. Her beautiful face stared at him, and he gazed back. He could see how scared she was and wanted nothing more than to hold her and tell her it would be alright. She broke the gaze when a violent shiver racked her delicate frame. Without hesitating, Milori removed his feathered cape and draped it over her shoulders. She met his eyes in gratitude, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"Thank you Milori" She murmured. He loved the way his name rolled off her tongue, loved the way it sounded when she said it.

"Please, take cover." He pleaded in concern. She stepped back, and he turned around to join his fairies. He felt naked without his cape, and he could feel her stare on his wings as he walked away. He fought the urge to hide from the fairies in front of him - only Dewey knew about his wing.

"Winter Fairies, stand guard!" As he joined them at the edge of the tree, he heard the quiet gasps and felt the stares of shock from his fairies as they saw his broken wing. He stopped next to Periwinkle, not looking at her when he saw her gaze travel to his wings. He heard her quiet gasp of shock, saw her turn to look at him from the corner of his eye. He then saw the realization dawn on her face as she remembered what he had told her. Glancing at her from the corner of his eye, he gave a small, stiff nod to confirm her thoughts. Her eyes grew wide, then she turned to face the oncoming freeze.

When it hit, it was colder than anything Milori had ever felt in his life. The other fairies hovered to keep the ice from trapping them, and he couldn't describe the gratitude he felt when both Gliss and Periwinkle each took one of his arms and lifted him off the bark of the Tree, for he saw in their eyes not pity, but acceptance.

After what seemed like days, a single ray of sunlight broke through the frozen leaves. The fairy Tinkerbell came out first, followed by the others. Milori searched for Clarion's glow and found her coming from a room near the Pixie dust flower. He quickly joined her, and they joined the circle of fairies watching the Flower hopefully. For a few minutes, nothing happened, and everyone started to worry. Then, just as everyone's hope started to fade, the Tree released a torrent of Pixie Dust. Milori felt an unfamiliar tightness in his face, and he realized that he was smiling, really smiling, after almost two hundred years of loneliness and depression. He looked at Clarion's face, and it was lit up with joy and relief. I almost hurt to look at her beautiful, radiant face, but he didn't dare take his eyes off her. Every fairy shot into the air in happiness. Every fairy, except Tinkerbell.

Milori noticed immediately that she was the only one not in the air except for him and Clarion. His blood ran cold, and his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. _'No, please no….please don't let it be what I think it is…..' _ Clarion noticed Tinkerbell standing alone, and he watched her smile melt off her face as she stared anxiously at the young fairy.

"Tink! Come on!" Milori heard Peri call from above. Tinkerbell stared up at her sister, sadness in her eyes. _'No….No…' _ "Tink?" Peri asked as she flew down to her sister, "What's wrong?"

Milori watched in horror as Tinkerbell turned her back to Peri and started to remove her coat. He knew now. He watched as Tinkerbell slipped off her coat and let it fall to the ground. He saw it in an instant, and his heart went out to her. It was a partial tear, and it would pain her for weeks until it tore the rest of the way. It took Peri a second to see it, when she did, her hands flew to her mouth as she let out a strangled gasp.

"When you flew to winter…That's why you fell." She realized.

Milori stepped forward when Clarion took a step closer to Tinkerbell. His eyes wide in anguish, he watched Clarion's face contort in grief when she noticed Tinkerbell's wing. "Oh no" She whispered in anguish.

He saw Fairy Mary put her hands up to her mouth and say quietly "Oh, Tinkerbell…"

Peri came around to face her sister, "Tink….why didn't you tell me?" she asked as she put her hands on Tinkerbell's shoulders. Tinkerbell finally met her sister's eyes, and she tried to smile without success.

"We had to save the Tree." She answered, "Besides, there's no cure for a broken wing."

"I'm so sorry" Peri whispered as she wrapped her arms around her sister.

Milori put a hand on Clarion's shoulder as she tried to step closer. She stopped and let him speak instead.

"This happened because we tried to keep you apart." He began, looking at Clarion as she turned to him with her jewel-like eyes brimming with tears.

"But never again. You belong together." Clarion finished, gliding forward and reaching out to Tinkerbell.

The sisters embraced, and smiled weakly at each other as the sun shone more strongly. Tinkerbell pulled back, "It's getting warmer, you should head back to winter."

"Yeah" Peri replied as she started to walk away.

"Hey," Tinkerbell said, "I'll be okay. I'll meet you tomorrow at the border."

Peri turned back to Tink, "Sisters?" she asked, turning her wings to Tink. Tinkerbell smiled and turned her wings to face Peri, "Sisters."

Milori watched as Peri used her wing to lift up Tinkerbell's broken wing. Their matched wings began to glow, then sparkle. The glow focused around the center swirl of their wings, and as the light grew stronger, the girls jumped apart in surprise.

"Jingles!" they both exclaimed, when Milori noticed a small blue spark traveling along Tinkerbell's break line, slowly fusing shut the tear as it traveled. Tinkerbell watched it extinguish itself about halfway down the tear, and her eyes widened. The girls pressed their wings together once more. The light became blinding, but Milori could not take his eyes off the sisters. He watched transfixed as Tinkerbell's wing healed before his very eyes. He didn't know how to react, he was overjoyed that Tinkerbell could fly again, but a small part of him had wanted her wing to remain broken so that he would no longer be the only one. Clarion slipped her hand into his as if she knew what he was feeling. He turned from watching Tinkerbell celebrate, and stared at Clarion with love in his eyes. She turned her face to him and stared into his eyes with love.

And _she_ kissed him. Milori almost became undone at the sudden touch of her heart shaped mouth on his. He closed his eyes, and snaked his arm around her waist to pull her closer. She started to pull away after a moment, but he captured her lips with his in another searing kiss and tightened his arm around her waist. He never wanted it to stop, but he let her go when he remembered that they had an audience. She flushed when he opened his eyes and took a small step back, but he chuckled quietly and stepped with her, keeping her in his arms.

"Oh! Queen Clar-ion!" Fairy Mary exclaimed, sounding shocked but delighted.

Dewey rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, "Wow, I didn't know they were gonna do the smoochee-smoochety," He winked, "guess they're tellin' people now."

Milori released his hold on Clarion, and took a deep breath. She stared at him in encouragement. He walked towards Tinkerbell, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Tinkerbell, you have no idea how happy I am for you, that you were spared the pain and heartache of a broken wing. I felt sick to my stomach when I noticed you alone on the ground, and I wanted to scream because I had sworn that I would never let another fairy break a wing, but at the same time…."

"At the same time, you were secretly relieved that you weren't the only one?" Tinkerbell finished for him.

Milori nodded, "I promise you that I will never bear any ill-will towards you for regaining your flight."

He turned around and was returning to Clarion's side when Tinkerbell spoke up.

"Lord Milori?"

He turned to face her.

"Are you the fairy in the story?"

He opened his mouth, about to answer, but Clarion spoke up.

"Yes, we are." She said. Tinkerbell widened her eyes.

"Queen Clarion, you were the warm fairy?" she asked. Clarion nodded. Tinkerbell looked between her and Milori for a second before flying away, urging her friends to follow. Soon the Tree was empty except for Milori and Clarion - all the other winter fairies had returned home when the sun started to warm the air.

Milori turned to Clarion and took her in his arms, "I have missed you more than you can possibly imagine Ree."

"I tried not to think about you, and for a while it worked, since I was always busy. But after a while you began to creep into my thoughts, and I dreamt about you every night." She whispered. Milori saw the sadness in her eyes and pulled her into an embrace. She buried her head in his chest and let herself cry. Milori ran his fingers across her cheek and kissed her forehead.

"Shhh, I'm here now my darling. I promise you, I will never leave you ever again." He murmured. Her sobs began to subside, and when she lifted her head to look at him, He captured her lips and kissed her hungrily. She closed her eyes and ran her hands up his back. She froze as her fingers touched the jagged edge of his wing.

"Shhh, don't think about that now." He murmured against her mouth, relieved when she continued to run her hands along his back. He kissed her jawline, and began to trail kisses down her neck. He gently grazed his teeth against her delicate skin as he reached her collarbone, and she gasped, letting out a low moan of pleasure. Milori gently kissed her one last time and released her.

"I love you Ree" He said softly, his voice husky from kissing her.

"As I love you Milori." She replied, running a hand through his hair. He smiled tenderly at her, before reaching up and wiping his brow. He hadn't noticed how warm it had gotten. Clarion noticed how flushed and clammy his skin was getting.

"You're too warm" She realized anxiously.

"I'm fine, it's nothing." Milori replied. She stepped back and looked at him.

"It's not fine, Milori," She told him, "Please, go back to winter."

"I don't want to leave you, I can deal with it." He begged.

"Please, Milori, go back," She pleaded anxiously, "I'll meet you tomorrow at the border."

Milori relented when a wave of dizziness washed over him, "At sunset?" he murmured in fatigue. She smiled and placed her hand on his cheek.

"At sunset." She promised. She helped Milori walk back to his owl. The owl looked concerned for his master as Milori slowly climbed on. She met the bird's eyes.

"Take him home." She told him. The bird pushed off the branch and into the air. Milori felt dizzy and felt as if he couldn't draw enough air into his lungs. His owl flew quickly, passing over the border and pumping his strong wings. The cold air helped to revive Milori a bit, but he still felt very weak and dizzy. The owl whistled in alarm as he landed in front of Milori's ice palace. The two guards flew quickly to catch Milori as he started to slip off the owl's back.

"Lord Milori! Are you alright?" The first one exclaimed. Milori groaned weakly in response.

"Feel his skin! He's overheated!" The second guard replied. They quickly laid him down in the snow and began frosting his face and arms. Milori welcomed the frost as it gently washed away his dizziness and cooled him off. After a few minutes, he felt well enough to sit up. His guards froze when they saw his wing, thinking it was freshly broken. Milori saw them staring at his back, and stood up.

"It's from long ago." He answered their unspoken question in a tone that offered no further discussion. The guards were visibly relieved, and he turned to walk away. He paused after a second and looked over his shoulder at the two gray clad sparrow-men.

"Thank you." He said before going inside. He slowly climbed the stairs and quietly entered his study. He sat at his desk, and felt a smile claim his face. He touched his lips, still slightly in awe of her kiss. It had been so long since he'd been happy that the feeling was unfamiliar, but he welcomed the joy that spread throughout his veins. Milori didn't know how long he sat at his desk, but eventually he got up and made his way to his bedroom. He changed into his night clothes and lay under the thin sheets on his bed. Suddenly, he sat up. _'The frost trapped the warm air on the Pixie Dust Tree to keep it from freezing…could it work on fairy wings?' _Milori pondered this idea briefly, and then he remembered Dewey's words from a few days ago, _'well, maybe if they were wearing a coat….'_

Milori lay back down, deciding to go with Periwinkle to the border tomorrow when she went to visit Tink. He would tell the sisters about his idea, and ask them if they would test it out for him. If Tinkerbell broke a wing, they could fix it. He slowly drifted into sleep, pleased with his plan.

When he awoke the next morning, He rushed to get dressed, realizing that Clarion still had his cape. He summoned his guards as he went downstairs.

"You are both relieved of your duties until tomorrow at noon. Go enjoy yourselves for once." He flashed a quick grin at them before going to his owl and taking off. He caught a glimpse of Peri as she headed to the border. He caught up with her at the edge of the Frost Forest.

"Periwinkle!" He called as he flew closer. She turned and her brow furrowed in confusion when she saw him.

"Lord Milori? Is something wrong?"

"No, no, everything's fine. Actually I had an idea last night that I was hoping you and your sister could help me with. Do you mind if I accompany you to the border? I want to speak to both of you."

"Of course."

"Thank you" He and Peri flew in silence until they reached the border. Tinkerbell was already there on the warm side. Milori stood back as the sisters hugged and greeted each other.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Lord Milori wanted to talk to us about something he thinks we could help him with." Peri told Tink. Milori stepped forward.

"I had an idea last night that could possibly allow warm fairies to come into winter without issue." He began, "As I'm sure you both know, frost traps warm air around whatever is being frosted, which is why the Pixie Dust Tree was able to survive the freeze."

The girls nodded, beckoning him to continue.

"I was wondering if the frost would protect Warm Fairy wings, allowing warm fairies to cross into winter. I thought that maybe you two could test my theory, since Tinkerbell's wings can be fixed if they break."

The sisters looked at each other and broke into smiles, "We'd be glad to! When do you want us to start?"

Milori grinned swiftly at their enthusiasm, "Could you start now? I'd like to stay and observe as well so I can see for myself."

Tinkerbell and Peri quickly got to work. Tink left to retrieve her jacket and a pair of scissors. She swiftly returned, and skillfully cut slits in the back of her coat to let wings be exposed. The blonde fairy donned her jacket and turned to Periwinkle, who beckoned for her to cross. As soon as Tink's feet touched the snow, Peri reached out and trailed her hands along Tinkerbell's wings, enveloping them in glittery frost. Tinkerbell giggled, causing Milori to suspect that the frost tickled. He watched as she flew experimental loops and spins in the air. She landed in front of him after a few minutes with a grin.

"I don't feel any cold on my wings, and I can fly with them frosted, rather than having to keep them inside my coat!" She reported happily.

"Excellent, thank you for your help girls." Milori said, "Enjoy your day, but if either of you notice anything wrong with Tinkerbell's wings, please inform me immediately. I need to know if the frost will work for an extended amount of time, so please report back to me before sunset today."

He returned to his owl and flew away, his heart pounding in excitement. When he got home, he sent a message to Clarion.

"Bring your jacket

Love,

Milori"

That was all he said, not wanting to give too much away. Sunset could not come quickly enough for him, so when the sky finally began to turn gold with the setting sun, Milori bolted outdoors and vaulted on to his owl. The owl felt his excitement, and threw himself into the air. Milori's heart soared with the owl, and skipped a beat when they came in sight of the border and he saw that she was already there, as he knew she would be. He landed his owl and went to her, embracing her in a crushing hug. He pulled back and gazed at her lovingly.

"Sunset could not come fast enough" Clarion whispered as Milori leaned down for a kiss. He wrapped his arms around her lower back as he drew her close. He ghosted his tongue across her lips, asking permission, which he got. Their tongues tangled together, and he felt her slip her arms around his back. But he froze when he felt her hands slide up under his shirt. He pulled back regretfully and placed his hands on her shoulders gently.

"Not here, Clarion," He told her softly but firmly, "Someone will see." It pained him to deny her touch, but the border wasn't exactly a private location. He watched as Clarion blushed, knowing that she wanted him as desperately as he wanted her. He took her hand in his.

"Did you bring your coat?" He murmured. She nodded and picked it up from where she'd dropped it. He took it from her, and, noticing that Tinkerbell had left her scissors from earlier, quickly cut two slits in the back. Clarion looked at him in confusion as he handed it back to her.

"Put your wings through the holes, and then turn your back to me." He instructed.

"Milori? What are you doing?" She asked anxiously.

Milori smiled at her, "I'm going to frost your wings so they don't get damaged in the cold."

"Are you sure it works?"

"Positive. I, uh, had Periwinkle and Tinkerbell test it out this morning. Tinkerbell told me that she didn't even feel the cold air on her wings once Peri frosted them. I know I should have asked you if Tinkerbell was allowed to test my idea, but I wanted to surprise you."

She was speechless, and when Milori held out his hand, she placed hers in his palm and stepped gracefully over the border. He turned her around, and lightly ran his fingers over her majestic wings until they were thoroughly protected in frost. She followed him to his waiting owl.

"He's so soft." She marveled, stroking the bird's downy plumage, before letting Milori take her hand and help her on to the owl's back behind him. He felt her wrap her arms around him as the owl lifted into the sky. She laughed in delight at the view below her, and the sound melted his heart.

"Should I show you around?" He asked, and she eagerly nodded, never having been in winter before.

The two lovers spent the rest of the day in the air as Milori excitedly showed her his world. She gazed in awe as they flew over the Frost Forest, Dewey's library, Glacier Pass, the Pixie Dust supply, and Ice Lake. As the moon began to appear in the evening sky, Milori turned his owl toward home.

"Where are we going now?" Clarion asked curiously.

"I'm taking you to my home. It's on the north side of the mountain." Milori replied. As the Ice Palace came into view, he glanced back at Clarion in time to see a wondering smile appear on her face. He guided his owl to the ground and dismounted, turning to help Clarion jump off.

"This is where you live?" She asked.

"Yes, I built after we…." He trailed off, and she nodded.

"It's smaller than I would have imagined, but then you never were one for much company." She laughed softly. He grinned, and took her hand.

"Do you want to go inside?" He asked. She smiled and let him lead her through the door. Clarion gazed around in wonder as he led her throughout the rooms. When they reached the end of the upstairs hall, he turned to her.

"What did you think?" He inquired softly.

"I think that you," She snaked her arms around his waist and pulled him closer, "are quite the architect."

Milori smiled and leaned down to kiss her, their lips colliding gently. He placed a hand on her lower back. He gently nipped her bottom lip, and she shivered in response. Her lips parted, and their tongues tangled together. He felt her hands slip under his shirt and glide up his back. He groaned in pleasure and trailed kisses down her neck until he reached her collarbone. There he grazed his teeth slowly along her skin and kissed her delicate flesh, smiling against her neck as she gasped. He moved back to her lips and kissed her almost desperately. Without breaking their lips apart, Milori reached behind him and opened the door to his room, pulling her inside and closing the door.

Hours later, they lay in each other's arms in quiet contentment. Milori gently ran his fingers through Clarion's long chestnut locks as she rested her head on his chest.

"How did I go so long without you?" He murmured close to her elfin ear.

"I was wondering the same thing about you, I missed you so much." She answered sleepily. Milori gently kissed her forehead.

"And I missed you. I love you my beautiful queen."

"You don't have to call me Queen, Milori," Clarion looked at him.

"Clarion," He spoke softly, "Darling, I wasn't saying it to formally address you. We were formal and distant with each other the one time you wrote to me after we stopped seeing each other, when you wrote to inform me of the border law. I will be formal when I have to be, but we've been apart far too long for me to be able to be addressing you as 'Your Highness' every time I speak to you."

"I never did have to worry about you placing my title above me as a fairy, did I?" She smiled slightly, meeting his brown eyes with her sapphire ones.

"And you never will." He promised.

A while later, they both sat in Milori's small sitting room. Milori had wrapped Clarion in the thickest blanket he owned and added another layer of frost to her golden wings.

"Does Tinkerbell cause a lot of mischief in the warm seasons?" Milori asked suddenly. Clarion looked up at him in surprise.

"Yes, though usually it's one of her new inventions not working as she planned. Why?"

"I was just thinking, if it hadn't been for Tinkerbell and Periwinkle meeting each other, and Tinkerbell crossing back over after we separated them, then we wouldn't be together now." He tightened his arm protectively around her shoulders, "I might even go so far as to say that it was mostly Tinkerbell's doing, because I never had a lick of trouble from Periwinkle before they met." He chuckled quietly.

"Yes, she is quite an incredible fairy. Did you know that when she first arrived, she was so disappointed that tinker fairies don't go to the mainland to change the seasons that she tried to switch her talent?"

"She tried to _switch_ her _talent_? That's never been done before!"

"Well as you can imagine, it didn't go well. But she ended up finding a broken Lost Thing on the beach and she fixed it, not even knowing that she was actually tinkering. She is mischievous, and sometimes doesn't know when to hold her tongue, but I care for her deeply."

"I can tell in the way you talk of her. Pixie Hollow could not possibly have a more qualified Queen." Milori gazed lovingly into Clarion's jewel-like eyes. She smiled and placed her hand on his cheek.

"I love you." She said simply. Then her gaze flitted to the window, where Milori noticed a faint rosy hue on the horizon. She looked at him regretfully.

"I should go. I don't think it would be good if anyone, particularly my guards, were to find out that I spent the night with you."

Milori took her hand and stood up. His puzzled eyes searched hers, and her brow furrowed for a moment.

"Milori don't you dare think that I regret what happened last night." She glared at him in disbelief. His eyebrows shot up in shock and his jaw dropped open.

"No, Ree, that's not it at all! I was simply trying to think of a way to sneak you back to the Tree without anyone seeing." He quickly explained. Her features softened in relief, and she stepped into his arms.

"I already have a plan." She murmured as she kissed him softly.

An hour and a half later, Milori watched as his owl appeared over the tree line. Clarion had tucked her wings inside her coat to hide their sparkling glow and ridden his owl back to the Pixie Dust Tree, where she had instructed the owl to fly close by her bedroom balcony so she could jump to the balcony and return to her room without any of her over-protective guards seeing. Her eyes had sparkled as she'd told him her plan, and the plan itself had reminded Milori of their time together all those years ago, when they'd both been so young and reckless together.

One week later, Milori and Clarion both stood on their respective sides of the border, with all of the warm fairies and all of the winter fairies standing before them. Milori stood off to the side and watched as Clarion stepped forward to address both groups of fairies. She was the perfect image of royalty, he noticed with admiration. Her chestnut locks were twisted into a flawless bun, and her glowing tiara rested perfectly centered on top of her head, while her golden butterfly wings sparkled in the sunlight. She smiled a dazzling smile, and Milori listened as she began.

"Fairies of Pixie Hollow," Her musical, lilting voice rang out over the crowd, "It is with extreme happiness that after much consideration, I hereby revoke the border law and allow warm fairies to cross over the border into winter."

She held up a hand as several of the winter fairies gasped at the unfairness, wondering why they still weren't allowed to cross into the warm seasons. Clarion waited for them to quiet down and return their attention to her before continuing.

"I realize that most of you winter fairies must think that I am favoring the warm fairies in this matter, but please understand that we still have not discovered a way for any of you to cross without your wings wilting and tearing."

A winter sparrow-man shoved his way forward out of the crowd until he stood at the very base of the log. Milori shot him a warning glare, but he ignored it.

"Well what about your warm fairies?" the sparrow-man retorted, "Their fragile little wings will still freeze and break if they come into winter!"

Both groups of fairies were shocked at his insubordination and lack of respect to the Queen and they stood silent as they wondered how Her Majesty would handle his rudeness. Milori stepped forward, fully prepared to give this sparrow-man - who he now remembered was named Thistle – a good reaming out, but Clarion held out her hand to stop him. She stepped over the border into winter without hesitation and moved closer to Thistle, her face composed.

"Do you truly believe I would allow any fairy across the border if their wings were at risk, Thistle?" She asked calmly. Thistle's eyes widened and his wings fell in surprise when she said his name, even though she had never seen or heard of him before.

"N-no your Highness, of course not." The gray-eyed fairy stammered.

"I didn't think so. If you had let me continue, you would have heard the reason why winter fairies are not allowed into the warm seasons. I will let Lord Milori handle your attitude later, but for now, please let me finish my announcement."

"Yes, your Majesty." Thistle replied in shame before stepping back into the group of winter fairies. Clarion returned to the warm side quickly – she had crossed the border without having her wings frosted or wearing her coat.

"I know most of you are in fact concerned about your wings, but I assure you that you have nothing to worry about. Lord Milori, with the help of Periwinkle and Tinkerbell, has found that by frosting your wings, you can safely cross into winter without damaging your wings. The frost traps warm air around your wings, while at the same time protecting them from the cold air."

A petite warm fairy known as Lily stepped forward and curtsied, "Forgive me, Queen Clarion, but won't the frost make our wings too heavy to fly?" she asked shyly.

"Not at all, my dear. The coating of frost is very light, and it won't hinder flight at all"

Milori watched as Clarion answered the fairies' questions, finally getting a small glimpse of she ruled Pixie Hollow. He could see how loyal all of the warm fairies were to her, and how respectful his winter fairies were. Finally, she wrapped up the meeting by announcing that the border law would be lifted by the next morning. She bid them all farewell, and turned to Milori.

"I know you probably want to rip off Thistle's wings from the way he acted towards me, but please don't be too harsh in your punishment. I expected that your fairies would likely question me, and show less respect than the warm fairies. None of them, except for Dewey and Periwinkle, had ever seen me before, let alone had to stand and listen to an announcement. I could see that their opinion of me heightened towards the end, and Thistle looked as if he wanted to disappear when I approached him."

"I _should_ rip his wings off." Milori growled.

"Milori, harsh punishment will do more harm than good with him. I could see that he is the type who does not trust authority easily. If you punish him harshly, then he will resent and distrust both of us more than he already does, and I have no wish to have to deal with a rebellious fairy." Clarion explained, then added, "Don't let me find out that you punished Thistle unjustly. Don't forget, even though we are lovers, I am still your queen."

Milori sighed, "You're right, I will not punish him harshly, I would rather fall out of a tree than face my Queen's wrath." He said jokingly. She laughed and swatted him on the arm.

"Don't tease!" she admonished lightly. Milori pulled her into a hug and kissed her.

"You were great today."

"I love you." Clarion replied.

Milori smiled and stepped back, "I should go. It's getting late, and the bats will be out soon."

"Yes, I'm sure my guards are anxious to get me back to the Tree as well." She agreed with a glance over her shoulder at her restless guards, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." He kissed her cheek, then turned and went to his patiently waiting owl.

The next morning Milori raced to the border for the official lifting of the ban. Two frost fairies, Gliss and Spike, stood ready to frost the warm fairies' wings as they crossed. Milori waited eagerly for Clarion's arrival. She arrived a few minutes later in a spectacular burst of Pixie Dust, the glittering gold gently giving way to her luminous wings and sparkling dress. Milori watched in awe – he had known that she was able to travel in the form of Pixie Dust, but never had he seen it with his own eyes. He suddenly realized how she'd always beaten him to the border, and how she'd disappeared so fast when she had told him goodbye all those years ago.

Clarion smiled at his awestruck expression. "You beat me here for once." She said fondly.

"So it seems. Now I know why you always used to beat me here." He replied good-naturedly. She laughed, and the sound was pure silver.

"Come, the fairies will be arriving soon." She took his hand in hers, whether she didn't notice his cold skin or ignored it, he didn't know.

Periwinkle and Tinkerbell were the first to arrive, soon followed by the rest of the fairies. Clarion waited until everyone had arrived, then she moved to the center of the log.

"Today marks a very special day in Pixie Hollow's history, one that celebrates the unification of two worlds." She beckoned to Gliss and Spike and they stepped forward proudly. She then turned to the warm fairies clustered at the base of the warm side of the log.

"Come forward Tinkerbell, to be the first to legally cross the border in almost two hundred years."

The tinker fairy flitted to Clarion and curtsied. Clarion helped her into her coat and led her over to where Gliss and Spike stood waiting. Milori stood silent as he watched Clarion call up each fairy by name, help them into their coat, and lead them over to the two frost fairies. He proudly watched as his winter fairies welcomed the warm fairies enthusiastically. When all was said and done, three hundred and forty-two pairs of wings had been frosted.

Milori walked over to Clarion after the last fairy's wings had been frosted.

"It's your turn Darling." He murmured as he turned her around. He helped her into her champagne-colored coat and gently trailed his fingers over her silky wings. Silver frost spilled from his fingertips and enveloped her wings. He offered his hand, and she placed her hand in his.

They soared joyfully throughout the winter woods, both of them watching happily from the back of Milori's owl as the winter fairies and the warm fairies laughed and played together for the first time. Milori eventually asked his owl to land, and helped Clarion slide to the ground. They were at the edge of a frozen lake where some of the winter fairies were attempting to teach a few warm fairies to ice skate. Tinkerbell and Periwinkle summoned a small group of Snowy owls as Milori wrapped his arm around Clarion's waist, and the two lovers looked up in wonder as thousands of tiny snowflakes and periwinkle blossoms were released from the snowflake baskets and floated slowly towards the ground.

Warm brown eyes gazed lovingly into calm sapphire ones as they turned to look at each other. Milori was aware of nothing else as he secured his grip on her hand, and right then he made a silent promise to her to never abandon her ever again under any circumstance. Even if it cost him his other wing.

"I love you Ree." He whispered.

"And I love you Milori. Forever."


End file.
